The Rose and the Beast
by Ruheezuh
Summary: Beauty & the Beast AU. Anise has never questioned her life, the place she calls home or the mysterious stranger that provides for her. She's content with the company she has. One afternoon, after having gone to the village for the first time and hearing the rumors that shroud her home, she can't help her curiosity. What punishment will befall her when she unmasks the truth?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing.

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_The storm roared on as the heavy droplets of water came down on the roof of the car. Despite the thunder and the storm raging on outside, the tiny child, about four years of age, sitting in the passenger seat said nothing. There was only silence and the heavy rain._

_No words were exchanged. No explanations were made or given. They had finally arrived at the mansion. Never in her life had she seen such a huge structure and to a child as small as Anise was, it was nothing short of horrifying; resembling the monsters she imagined under her bed._

_Thunder boomed and lightning flashed angrily across the sky. Anise had never been more terrified in her life than she was now, but her father's last and only words to her during the car ride on the way there echoed in her ears, "No matter what Anise, do not search for the beast or else a terrible curse will befall you."_

_At such a young age, Anise could not understand what he meant, but at the time, she could find no logical reason as to why she would ever want to find a 'beast'. Also, she was afraid of punishment so surely, she thought she would have no trouble following her father's orders._

_After her father had unloaded all her bags out onto the pavement where she stood in front of the huge doors, under the rain, he got back into his car and without so much as a glance in his daughters direction and drove off. Anise felt her eyes welled up as she screamed for her Papa to come back. It was no use. He couldn't hear her. He was too far away and even if he could hear, Anise was sure that he wouldn't have returned anyway._

_Wiping away her tears and putting on a strong face, she summed up all the courage she could and knocked on the large doors as hard as her little hands would allow her. She was too tired now to be afraid and too cold and numb to care about much of anything. All she wanted was to sleep and let her dreams carry her away._

_With a loud creek from the aging wood, the doors opened and she was greeted by a young looking man (more like a boy) who quite actually resembled her father; the lab coat, glasses, nerdy physique, well except, of course, for the warmth that painted this man's face with the kindness and hospitality that her father's face was always devoid of._

_"You must be Anise," he smiled at her, pulling her and her luggage into the large house and out of the rain, "I'm sorry about what's happened. I'm Itsushi." Giving her his bigger hand, he motioned for her to take it which she did._

_"I-it-shushi," four year old Anise murmured, having much difficulty in pronouncing his name which she later on ended up shortening to, "Sushi"._

_Walking quietly up the stairs, her hand in his, he ushered her to what would be her room from now on. It was a very spacious room with a bookshelf taller than her full of novels on one wall, a full desk with a lampshade on one side and in the middle a bed that could fit four people, covered in pink satin sheets. She stared up at him, her big red irises silently asking him if this really was her room._

_He smiled again and gave her wet head a pat, "Yes, this all yours. The master insists that you have the best." She really couldn't believe that. Never in her life had she had such a large and extravagant room. "If you need anything just call," his smile never leaving his young face. Anise silently wished that this person, Sushi - kun, would never age and become hard the way her father did._

_"Do you need me to help you bathe?" He asked the four year old, surprised when he got a sure "no" with a shake of her head. "I already know how to bathe myself. Papa taught me. I also know how to read and write and fix my bed on my own." The tiny pinkette said with utmost pride. She was not only independent and very self sufficient, but also strong willed and outspoken, Itsushi observed._

_He smiled, amused by the light in the tiny child who had just been left here by her only parent. Kneeling down to muse her hair, the smile on his face fell just the slightest, turning into a stern, but still gentle look. "Anise, there is only one rule in this house. Do you think you can follow it for me?"_

_Anise, caught of guard by the sudden change in his mood nods wordlessly, wondering if she maybe made him angry. "Okay. No matter what, do not go to the third floor study inside the library or to the rose maze in the back garden, alright?"_

_"This house and every inch of it is yours to roam except for those two places, do you understand? And never, no matter what you hear from anyone, never search for the master, alright?"_

_Scared by his words, but trusting the person who'd shown her kindness when she needed it most, she nodded, promising to him that she would never go to any of those places or look for this 'Master' person. After Itsushi is sure he can count on her to keep her word, his smile reappears and Anise is relieved by the warmth that is once again there. He leaves her to her chambers with a soft goodbye and the click of the door locking as he leaves._

_After her bath, Anise plops onto the warm pink sheets and wraps herself under the covers as the rain and roaring thunder continues on. For the first time in her life, she was afraid of thunder and that night was the first night she began crying herself to sleep to the sound of it._

**Hello everyone! Thank you for reading. This is my first ever Barajou No Kiss fanfic, so I hope it was okay. Sorry for the lack of editing. I currently have no one who is interested in editing my work, so I'm sorry. Good or bad feedback is greatly appreciated. So Review, Follow or favorite! Thanks so much!  
-R.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing.

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It was once again time for Anise's tutoring sessions and as usual, she was being stubborn and hard-headed. Refusing to have her lesson, she runs down the stairs, out the first door she finds and out onto the garden behind the mansion. This was routine and she knew they would inevitably find her, but still, it was thrilling and fun to Anise seeing how long it would take for them to find her.

Today, her brilliant hiding place is one of the highest oak trees overlooking the rose maze. Climbing onto the highest branch, she stares on, partially keeping look out. She thinks that there probably isn't a more beautiful place than her home and she smiles at the view below her; the lush gardens, the delicate statues, the rose fountain in the center and the rose maze.

From the height she stood, she could see all the colors,kinds and breeds of roses the rose maze had. Anise sighs sadly but still admiringly at the garden below her. She wishes she could go there, to the rose maze, even to just smell the roses and touch, but she knows that it's forbidden. Of all the places in the entire house, the only two she's not allowed to venture into are the Rose Maze and the third floor of the library, where the Master's study was.

Itsushi-sensei says that it's because those are the only places the 'Master' only really stays. He loves to read, but he also loves and tends to the roses of the Maze.

'It must be lonely,' Anise thinks, 'to only have books for company and roses for companions. I wish -' She shakes her head and laughs at the stupidity of the thought, glad to not have continued it.

"Of course the 'Master' would never want to meet you," she admonishes herself out loud, "Why do you think he's spent all this time hiding from you if he did? Even if he were lonely, he certainly doesn't seem to want your company."

The words were soft despite having been said aloud, but unbeknownst to Anise, they did not fall on deaf ears.

"Anise! Anise! I see you up there!" Itsushi-sensei's voice calls from below her, "Come down here right this instant!"

Anise laughs, looks down at him and sticks out her tongue, "Make me!" It's mocking and challenging, but she knows it could never make Itsushi-sensei upset.

"C'mon Anise! Please! Please come down!" Seiran appears with Ninufa and if there's one thing Anise can't say no to, it's Seiran-kun when he's pleading and begging like a child. It sort of reminded her of how he was when he'd first come to the mansion.

Anise remembers the first time she met Seiran like it was yesterday. It was a sunny day and Anise was about seven years old at the time while Seiran was eight. He was thin and pale, so fragile and almost breakable looking when they had opened their door to the hardly audible sounds of his faint knocking. He'd obviously been neglected for a while and wasn't treated very kindly wherever it was he came from.

Without any questions asked, Itsushi-sensei had brought him in, given him food to eat and given him a room, just as he had when Anise had first come.

"Did his daddy leave him here like me?" seven year old Anise once asked Itsushi-sense.

"No. It's not really the same Anise. In time you'll understand." Being too young to fathom the words, she simply shrugged them off and proceeded to ask another question.

"Will 'Master' take him in too?"

"Hm, I'm not really sure, Anise, but I hope he will." Seeing Anise's disappointed face, he quickly added, "I'm sure he will."

Ever since then, Seiran's been her friend and 'brother', though Seiran works often cleaning or cooking around the house and doing various jobs as his payment to the master for taking him in. Anise asked him once why he worked while she didn't despite having similar situations. Seiran always gave her that sweet smile with that warm look in his blue eyes and told her, "I want to, as payment for taking me in." That was the first time Anise thought that the 'Master', no matter how scary or mysterious he seemed, was actually very kind. From then on, she was sure that it was no monster living inside the third floor study.

Looking down at Seiran with a bright smile, Anise gets ready to jump from the high branches, calling out to Itsushi-sensei and Seiran to catch her. With a nod in their direction, she closes her eyes and throws herself back, falling soundlessly through the air for a few seconds before landing softly into Itsushi-sensei's arms; almost as if she were a feather. She doesn't know how, but no matter how far up she jumps from, they always catch her softly and painlessly; like magic.

"Thank you, Itsushi-sensei!" Anise smiles and says loudly, jumping from his arms and patting Ninufa on the head.

"Don't thank me." Itsushi-sensei smiles in reply, looking up at the open window on the third floor where he sees shadow whips, barely seen in the daylight, silently retreating.

**Hi, hello! Thank you for reading! This is a longer chapter yay! I'm sorry if there doesn't seem to be much progress at all, but it's all part of the introduction of characters, so please bear with me! Don't forget to favourite, follow and review! Thanks so much. X.**

**-R**


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